Tri-City Ledger -

My earliest memory of dental problems was when I was about seven years old. I was a child of less than nothing as far as money in the bank. If something broke, Daddy fixed it with bailing wire or Mama fixed it with Vicks salve. Grandma Minnie Smith fixed it with a poultice made of road bank clay and vinegar.

I had a toothache that gave me a fat jaw on one side. I looked like a half full jawed chipmunk. My tooth throbbed, I cried. Mama held a hot water bottle to my jaw. The swelling went down somewhat. My first-grade picture shows my chipmunk look.

I didn't smile.

I hurt.

I was taken...